Dream

I had a dream that I was in Amsterdam, but it looked nothing like it. I was going to this little take-away restaurant and I got a döner I guess. Anyway, I was sitting outside eating and all of these younger students came and cat with me. They were talking about their experiences in Europe and being teachers and all that. Not normally being one to offer information about myself without being asked, I sat and listened and finally blurted out "I live here! and I'm sick of teaching. I don't want to go back to work." I guess I thought in my dream that I was still on break and was going back. I told them how hard it was going to be to adjust back to living in Munich again after having spent the summer here in Roanoke. Then we tried to clean up our meals and sort out the recycling and a stout Dutch woman told us where to put our cans and the gigantic ball of paper I had picked up from the table. Then their professor came and told them to get ready to leave.

The feeling was that I was being pulled away from this life. Being forced to go back to work at MIS. Maybe this just feels too good to be true and I'm expecting something to come along and fuck it up.

Friday Night Sets and Friends

So, as John mentioned in his last post, tonight was sushi night... it's also "Friday Night Sets".  John and Brett make a set list, practice a little and then play..... even if it's only the two of them listening!  Brett has an alarm that goes off on his computer that plays the decided set each Friday.

Tonight's especially great because Blake and Julia are visiting (although they've missed some of the night to attend a wedding rehearsal) and Reid and Holly are here.  We just finished a 'make your own' sushi dinner that was refreshing, filling, and new.  Now Brett and John are playing Wilco, Radiohead, Dave Matthews, and the Beatles (to name a few). Holly and I are listening.... Reid's on the Wii! (I forgot to mention that Blake and Julia brought a Wii... always a fun time).  

Nights like these make me so happy to be where I am and with some of the people I love most. What's so great about it, you might ask?  Well, everyone contributes to the night with dinner, drinks, doing dishes, playing music, ....bringing the Wii....  Everyone takes time to enjoy the company, the entertainment, the food. Everyone relaxes and just, simply, enjoys.

Come visit some Friday night soon and you'll see what I mean.   All are welcome! 

Sushi Night

The fish and vegetables are cut, the rice is cooking, we have a bottle of saki, beer, wine, vodka, rum and mixers. We have Blake, Reid, Brett, Jenny, Holly and I. We have a Nintendo Wii. This should be a good night. Brett and I have practiced some new Beatles songs. I'm excited about "Come Together." I realized after my visit at Christmas that I only really like listening to old rock on vinyl. My new love is the Beatles. I've always liked them, but I've found playing them on guitar and listening to their records has brought me a new-found appreciation for them. The vinyl collection is a gold mine of undiscovered favorites. Like old Little Feat albums, the Temptations and Diana Ross and the Supremes. Good times.

dream

I had a dream that I was at this big music festival and I got to be on stage with Tom Petty. But there were like 30 other people on stage. There were more people on stage than in the the crowd. I was supposed to play this one part on the xylophone or something, but then someone else did it. I had a tape recorder and I was trying to record the song, but I ended up pushing play every time. Tom Petty was wearing a cowboy hat and had a mustache and he looked just like Jake Gyllenhal in Brokeback Mountain when he gets older. Then I climbed off stage and Jess McCluney and Laura Brown were there smoking weed. Before Tom Petty, Carrot Top was playing in a band and everyone showed up for him but by the end of the set no one was there. Then I went to find a toilet but ended up just pissing somewhere on the side of the entrance door. Then a woman came up to me while I was pissing and asked me to do all of these favors for her, like putting stuff on the stage. I think it was the secretary from Ferris Bueller.

A glimpse of the past year

August 27, 2007

Dad just gave me this journal as a sort of going-away present. Ironic, considering that earlier today, I found one of his journals from when he was in the Navy, London and some entires from when he lived at the Dust Palace. He was quite the heart-breaker. Poems about drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes on Sunday afternoons, sharing bottles of cheap wine and making love. Wishing he could be bohemian...too bad he lived in Salem.

I'm packed and ready and somewhat more prepared to embark on what will unedoubtedly be an incredible adventure. I just don't really want to leave, but I feel like once I get there a lot of the anxiety and stress will be lifted.

After coming home from camp, I've realized how much I depend on my friends and how much they depend on me. Jenny hugs me every chance she gets and tells me how much she's missed me and she is going to miss me when I leave. I'm going to miss the hell out of her too. And Brett and Reid and Leslie and the house on 113 Bruffey and the coffee shop and getting high and playing guitar with Brett and dance parties and...America...I'm most worried about living in a city, which I've always wanted to do but...a German city? At least there will be people there that I know. I'm sure Tim will be thrilled to have me there.

I wonder what the apartment on Landwehrstr. will be like. I hope my roommates like me. I'm glad there will be a girl there. I hope she's like Jenny. I hope that she likes to cuddle.

August 31, 2007

I'm on the plane...ahhhh!!! This is crazy. I hope I can get to sleep. I'm pretty excited. Like Reid said, reality will set in...It's actually happening. America is already a memory. The captain is speaking German...I don't know what he's saying...Awesome!!
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In Munich, about 12:00, which means the sun is just coming up in VA. I met Tim at the airport after some frantic wandering and futile dialing. We're at the train station now, he's buying a ticket or something. It's really exciting being back. It's not so overwhelming since I've been here before. Tim said that Luke, my roommate was looking forward to having another bloke in the apt. Apparantly he and Ilana don't get along. I don't know how much help I'll be in settling things between them. Meeting new guys makes me nervous. It took me so long to warm up to the male staff at camp. I am what I am though.

The station here is pretty kick-ass! I like riding trains.

I found Jenny's note in my suitcase that she had mentioned. You can never tell who in your life you will help more than any other person could just by being yourself.


Monday September 3, 2007

I've just spent the night in my new apartment. I'm sitting on the window sill looking down on Landwehrstr. as the usual city actvities occur: construction, commuters, a guy walking home with bread and juice. I like it here. Luke took me out to the Englischergartens and met the group that he plays frisbee with every Sunday. Interesting group. Some Americans, well mostly American I guess. Then we went to a pub downtown (Schwabinger Seben). Very cool. Candlelight and excellent music. Anyway, Bea who is a French/Irish girl was apparantly much more drunk than she had let on. We left, they got some food and as we were riding the escalator out of the train station, she fell down! I've never seen anyone fall down an escalator before.